VQ Day, due to be held on 23rd July 2008, will be marked by a national event in London, as well as regional events held by colleges and learning providers around the country. NHTA will be taking part in VQ Day…the staff and learners will be raising the profile of vocational qualifications at the Victoria Centre, Nottingham. As most hairdressers will already know, vocational routes are often the best route for young people wanting to enter into a job with training, particularly in industries like hairdressing. NHTA will be giving practical demonstrations on members of the public who would like their hair dressing, curling or straightening. They won’t be charging for these services and demonstrations but will be collecting charitable donations for the children’s charity at the QMC. NHTA will be available to answer questions about vocational qualifications and the ‘work based training route. The Day will also see the publication of a report into the vocational qualifications landscape.
David Moreland, Managing Director of NHTA says, “We see this event as a fantastic opportunity to let everyone know about alternative routes in education and training, particularly with vocational qualifications.
Plans for the Day are being led by education foundation, Edge, and are supported by the wider education community including exam boards, employers’ organisations, the Association of Colleges and the Association of Learning Providers.
A roll call of vocational success has been established at www.vqday.org for past and present vocational learners to log on and add their name to the list. Visitors to the website can also vote for their Celebrity VQ Hero 2008. The shortlist of five celebrities, all of whom have made their name after gaining a vocational qualification will be announced shortly.
Andy Powell, CEO of Edge also hopes the Day will counter the prejudice which sees less than half (44 per cent) of the population agree that vocational qualifications are as important as A-Levels:
“The launch of VQ Day is a huge step forward for the world of vocational learning. However, we need the millions of people who hold VQs, colleges, learning providers and schools to make themselves known by going to the website and seeing how they can get involved.”
“Every year millions of people across the country study for and gain a vocational qualification, leading to further vocational study or university, better jobs and enhanced skills. However, despite these clear benefits, vocational qualifications sadly do not enjoy the prestige of their more academic counterparts. The launch of VQ Day is just one step in starting to put this right.”
For more information visit www.vqday.org.uk
For interviews, case studies, background information or more detail on plans for 23rd July, please contact:
Jane Potter at NHTA
Telephone: 0115 969 1650
Email: jane.potter@nhta.org.uk
